Inductor relay for elevators



Y YH. WYWaLLIAMs 1,800,126

TNDUCTOR RFILIHY FOR ELEVATORS Filed May ll, 1927 2 Sheets-Shea? l Harold W. Williams ATTORNEY April 7, 1931- H. w. WILLIAMS 1,800,126v

INDUCTOR RELAY FOR ELEVATORS l wlTNEssv INVENTOR RQJ'M'a/w Harohi W. Willlams 5f/2% BY ATORNEY Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED sTATEsPATr-:NT OFFICE HAROLD W. WILLIAMS, F EAST PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,l ASSIGNOB T0 WEBT- INGHOUSE ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY SYLVANIA A CORPORATION 0F PENN- INDUCTOR RELAY FOB ELEVATORS Application inea my 11, 1927. Serin m. 190,4a2.

My invention relates to relays for use in control systems for controllin the operation of two or more devices whic are movable' with reference to eachother and has special 5 application to control systems for elevator and railway cars and other similar vehicles.

One object of my invention is to provide a relay for controllin the operation of two relatively movable evices wherein no mechanical contact between the two devices is necessary.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relay or use in a control s stem for two relatively movable members w erein the l5 relay is actuated by magnetic cooperation between the two devices only at such times as the two devices are adjacent to each other.

Another object of my invent-ion is to provide a relay operable to Control circuits by magneticcoperation of two relativel mov.u able members `wherein the relays, aving once been actuated, remain so actuated until a subsequent operation is performed.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: i j

Figures l and 2 are,'respectivelya view in side elevation and a plan view of one form of my inductor relay,

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of another form oi my relay,

Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, a view in side elevation and a plan view of a third form of my invention, illustrating the use of a plurality of circuit-controlling members operating in a predetermined sequence, and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic showing of the application of my relay to an elevator.

Figure 1 shows one form of my relay, wherein portions of the relay are carried by one of two relatively movable bodies and other portions by the other of said two bodies, and comprises a base 1 formed of suitable insulating material on which are mounted a pair of supporting arms 2 ex* tending laterally from the base. An electromagnet comprising a coil 3, wound upon a suitable `"spool or core 4 provided with 'end discs 5; of insulating material, is mounted between the two supporting arms 2 upon enlarged end portions 6 thereof and is secured against rotation relative to said arms b means of screws 7 projecting through eacl of the supporting arms into extensions 8 of the end insulating discs.

To provide a suitable armature, two legs 10 and 11, formed ci suitable magnetic material, are joined at their upper ends by a bar 12 of insulating-.material of such pro o tions as to rigidly connectthe two le s. ll'he armature legs 10 are rigidly secure to the ends of the core extending through the supporting members 2, to thus permit the core and armature to rotate on said members as a unit. Mounted in a suitable slot 13 in the bar is a metallic contact member 14 extending rearwardly from the bar toward thef'base member 1. This contact member carries a contact button 15, which cooperates with a stationary contact member 16 mounted u on the base, as by a screw 17. Contact merriber 16 carries a Contact button 18.

As a means of conducting current to 'thcmovable contact member 14, a screw 19 mounted on the base carries at its outer end a metallic connecting member 20 which in turn is secured to the contact member 14 as by a screw 21. This connecting member or loop may be formed of liexible material so shaped as to tend to bias the contact member 14 away from its cooperating contact member 16.

In this form of the device, it is readily seen that the energization of the coil 3 will cause a magnetic flux to be passed through the two legs 1() and 11 of the armature, but such flux will exert no force on the armature tending to move it upon its bearings, and consequently will not cause a movement of the Contact member 14. To produce a movement of the contact member 14 it is necessary to bring into cooperation with the armature some magneticinfluence which will exert a force at 'right angles to the axis of the armature. Such force may be exerted by a magnetizable plate 22 or other magnetizable member when brought closely adjacent to the bent-over ends 23, 24 of the armature legs 10 and 11,

respectively. As may be readily seen, the

flux through the air gap A between the two parts of the varmature normally passes through a path of relatively high reluctance. g

When the magnetizable plate 22 is moved close to the armature members, the plate causes a ortion of the flux passing through air gap to be deflected through air 4gap B, between the plate and the armature, and a force is exerted upon the armature tending to move the same in the direction shown by the arrow.` This movementwillcaiise the contact members 14 and 16 to be brought together and close the circuit including these members, which may be any.: suitable control lcircuitfor the elevator, such-as a slow down7 relay circuit. i

It is desirable to have the armature remain in the moved position until some subsequent operation occurs and Ihave, therefore, provided a holding means for the armature which comprises a pair of studs 25 and 26, formed of steel or other magnetizable mate-- rial, which are mounted above the coil upon suitable supporting members 27 and 2S. These studs are provided with threaded portions 29 Land30 whereby they may be adjustably secured to the supporting members. When the armature is moved under the influence of the magnetizable plate 22, the upper portions 31 and 32 of the armature legs 10 and 1l contact, respectively, with the extended portions of the studs 25 and 26, and a portion of the magnetic flux from the coil 3 passes through the armature and through these studs, traversing the air gap C between veo the ends of the studs. This flux creates a relatively Weak force and restrains the armature member from reassuming its normal vertical position underthe influence of gravity and the spring member 20. By adjusting the air gap C between the two studs, the force exerted upon the armature by this path may be varied between relatively wide limits and, in this way, the device may be made extremely sensitive to the effects of the magnetizable plate 22.

For example, in the case where the armature and coil are -carried by a movable meinber, such as an elevator car, subjected to 'shocks troni the unevenness of the path over which it travels,or inertia shocks caused by the starting and stopping of the member, it may be necessary to make the spring 2() relatively strong to prevent the armature vibrating under these shocks. In this case it would be necessary to exert a comparatively large force in order to hold the armature in its moved position and this result may be accomplished by suitable adjustment ot' the air gap between the magnetizable studs.

Figure 3 shows a slightly modified form of my device wherein an armature 40, formed of magnetizable material, having a substantially U-shaped configuration, with two end portions 41 and 42 projecting in substantially the same plane, is mounted upon suitable bearings 43 on a supporting member 44, which -in turn is mounted upon a base 45 formed of suitable insulating material. Also mounted upon this base is a support 46 for a solenoid coil 47 surrounding and enclosing the central portion of the U-shaped armature member 40. This support for the solenoid coil may be,

and preferably is, adjustable as by screws 4S and 49, to permit the coil to be moved relatively to the ai'inatiire member 40, for a purpose hereinafter described. The armature member carries a suitable contact member 50, which cooperates with the stationary contact member 51 mounted upon the base as by a screw 52. The operation of this form of the device is as follows: 4

The armature member normally assumes the position shown in the dotted lines, whereby the eneigizatioii of the coil 47 exerts balancing forces upon the armature 40 to maintain it stationary. `When a magnetizable plate 53 is brought adjacent to the coil and armature, the magnetic path formed between the ends 41 and 42 of the armature and the magnetizable plate 53 exerts a force tending to rotate the armature about its pivot 43, thus bringing the contact member 50 into cooperation with the stationary contact member 51 to close the circuit controlled by the relay. Vhen the armature has been so moved, its central portion is close to the inside wall of coil 47and will remain in this position until coil '47 is deenergized.

In this form, the sensitiveness of the relay may be varied by adjusting the position of the coil 47 with reference to the armature 40. 1While both forms of the relay shown in Figs.V 1 to 3 are illustrated as having normally open contact members closed by movement of the armature, it is obvious that normally closed contact members could be substituted therefor.

In Figs. 4 and 5 are illustrated a circuitcontrolling device operable in the same manner as the modifications shown in Figs. 1 to 3. In this latter form of the device a coil 60, shown as having an oval cross-section but which may consist of a plurality of separate coils of circular cross section has mounted thereon, as by pivots 61, a plurality of armatures 62, 63 and 64. Each of these armatures comprises a U-shaped member 65 of suitable magnetizable material, an extension 66 which projects beyond the plane of the coil and a pair of extensions 67 and 68 projecting toward a base 69 of suitable insulating' material. upon which are mounted the support 70 for the coil and a stationary Contact member 71. Upon the extension 67 of the armature member is mounted a contact memberv 72 cooperating with the stationary contact inember 7 1. Upon the other of the extensions 68 is adjustably mounted, as by a screw 73, one end of a spring 74, the other end of which is secured to the upper end of the core of the coil as at 75, this spring normally tending to pull the two contact members into engagement. A'suita'ble cover member 76 of nonmagnetizable material is shown as fastened" by a screw 77 to one end of the coil supporting member 70 and extending upwardly over the upper ends of the armature member. The function of this cover member 76 is to form an enclosurejor the coil and the operating parts of the relay and at the same time act as a stop device limiting the movement of the armature under the influence of the coil. A striker button 7 8 is illustrated as taking the shock of contact between the armature and the cover and is also utilized for maintaining the armature operated once it has been picked up.

As may be readily seen from an inspection of Fig. 5, the illustrated magnetizable plate 79 formed of sections of varying width, is so mounted that each of the sections cooperates respectively, with one of the armature members of the relay as the car passes. Thus, as the armature members and the coil are'moved in the position indicated by the arrow, the left hand armature 64 will be the first to be brought adjacent the magnetizable plate and, as the coily and armature continue downwardly, the central and right hand armatures will successively be brought adjacent the other sections of the magnetizable plate. The three sets of relay contact members will 1 thus be opened in a predetermined sequence.

This form of the device is especially usev ful in connection with the stopping of elevators accurately at floor levels. For example, by connecting the high speed relay to the contact members of armature 64, the intermediate speed relay to those of the armature 63 and the slow speed relay to those of thearmature 62, the car will be brought to an accurate stop at the landing by successive steps of slowing down and stopping the elevator motor.

Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of the relays of the type shown in Figs. land 2 for producing a similar result. In this figure, guides 80 and 81 are shown as provided in the elevator shaft, upon which the elevator car 82 is moved upwardly and downwardly by cables. Disposed upon the top, or any other suitable portion of the elevator car 82 is a mounting structure 83, shown as being formed of sections of angle iron braced in a suitable manner, as by a bracing member 84.

Upon this structure a plurality of relays 85,

86 and 87, of the type shown in Fig. l, are mounted at varying heights above the top of the elevator for cooperation with an elongated magnetizable plate 88 mounted upon suitable supports upon the wall of the hatchway. As the car comes down the shaft the relay 85 will first be brought adjacent the magnetizable plate 88, then relay 86 and finally relay 87 will be brought adjacent to the plate.88. The distances between the several I relays will, of course, depend upon the rapidity with which the car decelerates when the 'several speed switches are deenergized, and the position at which the last of the relays is brought adjacent the magnetizable plate will, of course, depend upon the position of the plate with respect to the floor.

Other suitable applications of my relay may be made, for example, the three relays illustrated in Fig. 6 may be actuated by a single short magnetizable plate and yet maintain the proper timing of the sequence of operations, by connecting the coil of relay 86 to be closed only after the preceding rela 85 has been actuated and allowing relay 87 to close only after relay 86 has closed. This application is obvious and I have not deemed illustration thereof to be necessary here.

It is thus seen that I have provided a relay which is especially adapted for use with elevator and railroad cars and other vehicles wherein accurate control of the vehicles may be had without mechanical contact between the vehicles and the tracks or paths overv which the vehicles travel.

The several forms of my device shown in the drawings are preferred 'forms vbut are merely illustrative of the essentials of my invention and are not to be considered as limiting my device to the forms shown herein eX- cept as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a relay, an armature, energizabler means for magnetizing said armature, independently movable means cooperating magn etically with said armature when' magne- 'j tized by sald coil for imparting movement1 .for holding said armature, when so moved,

during the energization of said energizable means.

2. In a relay, an armature, energizable means for magnetizing said armature, independently movable means cooperating magnetically with said armature when magnetized by said coil for imparting movement thereto, circuit-controlling means operable by movement of said armature, means for holding said armature, when so moved during the energization of said energizable means, and means for restoring said armature to normal position lwhen said energizable means is deenergized.

3. In a relay, an energizable coil, an armature, means for mounting said armature for energization by said coil, a magnetizable plate movable withrespect tosaid armature, for causing said coil to move said armature when energized by said coil when said armature and said plate are adjacent each other, circuit-"controlling means operable by movement of said armature, and means for maintaining said armature in the position to which it is moved while said coil is energized.

4. In a relay, an cnergizable coil, an

armature, means for mounting said armature.

i 5. In a'relay, a movable armature, energiz-` -able means for magnetizing said armature,

magnetizable means movable with reference to saidarmature and sa1d first-named means for magnetic cooperation therewith to cause movement of'said armature when vmagnetized by said coil, circuit-,controlling means operable by movement (jf-said armature, and means for maintaining saidarmature 1n its "f new position during energization of said energizable means.

46. In a relay, a coil, an armature, means for-mounting said coil and said armature Vfor relative movement from a normal to an abnormal position, said coil being normally ineiective to,move said armature when energized, magnetizable means movable with reference to said armature and coil for rendering said coil effective to move said armature to said abnormal position when said coil and said magneti-zahle means are adjacent to, each other, said coil being rendered el'ective to hold said armature so'moved, and circuitcontrolling means operable by movement of said armature. v

7 In a relay, acoil, an armature comprising two legs, means for mounting said legs on said coil rigidly with respect to each other and movable With respect to said coil, means for energizing said coil to magnetize said armature with a diierent polarity for each leg, a magnetizable plate movable with reference to both said legs forcausing the magnetic force 1n said legs to produce a relative' movement of said armature and said coil, circuit-controlling means operable by movement of said armature, and means rendered eliective by movement of said armature for maintaining saidarxnature in its moved position during energization of said coil.

8. In a relay, a coil, an armature comprising two legs, means for mounting said legs on said coil rigidly with respect to each other EEnd movable with respect to said coil, means 'or energizing said coil to magnetize said armature With a diii'erent polarity for each leg, a magnetizable plate movable with reference to both said legs for /causing the magnetic force in said legs to produce a relative moveeach leg, a. magnetizable plate, movable relament of said armature and said coil, circuitcontrolling means operable by movement of said armature for maintaining said armature in its moved position during energization of said coil, and means for conducting current to a part of said movable armature and for restoring said armature to normal A When said coil is deenergized.

9. In a relay, a.. coil, an armature comprising two legs, means for mounting said legs on said coil rigidlywith respect to each other and movable with respect to said coil, means for energizing said coil to magnetize said armature with a different polarity for each leg, a magnetizable plate movable with reference to both said legs for causing the magnetic force in said legs to produce a relative movement of said armature and said coil, circuitcontrolling means operable by movement of said armature, and adjustable means rendered effective by movement of said armature for maintaining said armature in its moved position during energization of said coil.

10. In an inductor relay, a coil, a core for said coil, an armature comprising two legs, means for mounting said core and said legs -ior unitary movement relative to said coil,

means-for energizing said coil to magnetize said armature with a dierent polarity for tive to said armature for causing the magnetic force in said legs to produce a relative movement of said armature and said coil, and circuit-controlling means operable by movement of said armature. i 11. In a relay, an armature, a coil for ener gizing said armature, means for mounting said armature and said coil for relative movement, said coil When energized being normally ineffective to move said armature, magnetiza'- 105 ble meansmovable With respect to said armature Ior magnetic cooperation therewith when said magnetizable means and said armature are adjacent for causing movement of said armature when energized by said coil, and adjustable means rendered effective by movement of said armature for holding said armature in the pos'ition`to,...which it is moved during energization of said coil.

12. In a relay, an armature, a coil for 'ener- 115 gizing said armature, means for mounting said armature and said coil for relative movement, said coil when energized being normally incective to move said armature, magnetizable means movable with respect to said 12o armature for magnetic cooperation therewith vvhen said magnetizable means and said armature are adjacent for causing movement of said armature when energized by said coil, means rendered eil'ective by movement of said 125 armature for holding said armature in the position to which it is moved during energization of said coil, and means for adjustably limiting the movement of saidarmature. 13D

13. In a relay, an armature, an energizab'le coil for passing a magnetic fiux through said armature, means for mounting said armature for movement from a normal position 5 to-an abnormal position, said coil being normally ineffective when energized to cause movement of said larmature, magnetizable means movable with respect to said armature and said coil for rendering said coil eiec'- tive to move said armature to said abnormal position when said coil and said magnetizable means are adjacent each other, means effective when said armature is so moved for holding said armature during energization of said coil, and circuit-controlling means operable lby movement of said armature.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8rd day of May, 1927.

HAROLD lV. WILLIAMS.

DISCLAIMER 1,800,126.41? arold W. Williams, East Pittsburgh, Pa. INDUoToR RELAY FOR ELEVA-- Tons, Patent dated April 7, 1931. Disclaimer liled November 24, 1931.by the assignee, W estingho'use E' Zeal/ric d Manufacturing Company. Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the claim in said specifica-tion which appears as claim l0 and is in the following wo rds, to Wit: v

10. ln an inductor relay, a. coil, a core for said coil, an armature comprising two legs, means for mounting said core and said legs for unitary movement relative to said coil, i means for energizing' said coil to magnetize said armature with a different polarity for each leg, a magnetizable plate, movable relative to said armature for causing the. t magnetic force in said legs to produce a relative movement of said armature and said coil, and circuit-controlling means operable by movement of said armature.

[(/)cz'alpvlaeette December 15, 1931.] e 

